00:01 Moving the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses
00:03 out of Brooklyn, New York,
00:05 which has been there over a hundred years, and to take it upstate
00:08 into a rural setting, is a monumental task.
00:12 From the first moment
00:14 that the Watchtower representatives came to the town,
00:17 they came with their concept and what they wanted to do.
00:21 I would say that they were very professional from day one.
00:24 They expressed a great willingness to be cooperative.
00:27 They wanted to understand our process, and they wanted us
00:30 to understand what they intended to do.
00:32 When we come into a community,
00:33 we’re not developing something and moving on.
00:35 We’re developing it to live and work in.
00:37 And so we want it to be also
00:39 agreeable with the community and have their input on it.
00:43 The location is surrounded by a pristine park
00:46 that’s been preserved.
00:48 And for them to go in there and clean that site up
00:50 —remove the environmental issues— to me is just a total home run
00:55 for not only the town of Warwick but the state of New York.
00:57 The state forest was working with us
01:00 on what our facility would look like from the hikers
01:04 and the trails and so forth around there.
01:06 And so early on, we did an exercise where we actually
01:09 measured the tops of the buildings and put a balloon up there,
01:12 and then from the various trails in the area
01:15 could verify that they would not be seen.
01:17 Everything that our planning board asked for during the process
01:22 was, you know, very readily given,
01:25 there were no complaints.
01:27 They said: “Yes, we want to do this right. We want to work with you.”
01:30 And then good dialogue throughout the construction project,
01:32 especially the beginning phase,
01:34 helped us understand where we needed to adjust
01:37 and to accommodate our neighbors.
01:39 My overall experience with Watchtower has been,
01:42 I guess, in one word: professionalism, attention to detail.
01:46 They don’t cut any corners.
01:48 I mean, sometimes there are companies trying to save money here and there,
01:52 trying to cut a corner here and there.
01:54 And I’ve never witnessed anything like that, working with this organization.
01:58 I’ve been here since the project started.
02:01 I’ve been here many times doing inspections.
02:03 I’ve never worked around so many
02:06 professional people who have the same goal.
02:08 Any questions I had from reviewing the project
02:11 to doing the inspections just went so smoothly.
02:15 Everyone is always on top of any situation that may arise.
02:20 There are always self-inspections
02:22 and just the tenacity to just keep going day after day,
02:25 you know, dedicated crews always to fix any problems that may arise.
02:29 I’ve really, actually, never had
02:32 the opportunity to work with a more inviting group.
02:35 Every time I come by the site, it’s just a pleasure.
02:38 You know, you don’t really, you don’t get to have that experience
02:42 in construction all the time, so it’s refreshing, really.
02:44 What was interesting about our project is
02:46 we had contractors and volunteers together —men and women—
02:50 and coming from different parts of the country.
02:52 Most of the workforce here are volunteers,
02:55 but I find that term misleading because,
02:58 you know, everybody that I worked with was
03:01 completely professional and very well-trained.
03:04 They’re so professional; it’s just wonderful.
03:07 I wish that all the projects were like this, to tell you the truth.
03:10 Everybody was really courteous, polite,
03:13 and, you know, morale was at an all-time high here.
03:15 Out of the 14-plus years that I have been with the planning board,
03:18 I’d have to say the best applicant to work with—bar none.
03:21 Really, this organization
03:24 and this job site really are a testimony to how
03:28 one’s spirituality, how important it is
03:30 to every day, you know, every aspect in life.
03:35 We can really see that the community loves their area.
03:38 They love their town; they love their neighborhood;
03:40 they love their community.
03:42 And it’s nice to work with people like that, because we too are good stewards of the land.
03:46 We too want to enjoy the community, want it to be safe
03:48 and not only environmentally but in other ways.
03:52 And so it’s really nice to see the devotion that these folks have
03:55 to having a good place for their families to live.
03:59 And we’re very excited to be a part of that community.
04:02 We’re excited about the concept that this is going to be the world headquarters.
04:06 We understand that the members
04:08 of the Jehovah Witnesses will be coming to visit the site.
04:13 It will be on their list of things to do,
04:16 which we find exciting.
04:20 There are going to be thousands
04:22 of visitors each year from around the world.
04:24 They’re going to be coming to see the facilities
04:26 and to see the community and the neighborhood that we live in.
04:29 They’re regular folks that will also come to enjoy what we know
04:33 here in Warwick as just one of the most beautiful spots
04:37 in New York, and even in the United States.
04:39 We think that it’s going to be a great boost for our community.
04:41 We’re excited about it, and we welcome it.
